Vulcanizing mold for inner tubes and the like



Oct. 16, 1934. P, DE MATTIA VULCANIZING MOLD FOR INNER TUBES AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 29, 1928 INVENTOR.

Oct. 16, 1934. P. DE MATTlA VULCANIZING MOLD FOR INNER TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 In F III! ATTORN J Oct. 16, 1934. P. DE MATTIA 1,977,118

VULCANIZING MOLD FOR INNER TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 29, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR- r 9 r/i @Wv @2325 Oct. 16, 1934. P E AT 1,977,118

VULCANIZING MOLD FOR INNE R TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 29', 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN TOR.

@79 D 2 BY carried back through theinflating connections, as hasjheretofore been the case, clogging of the.

Patented Get. 16, 1934 :poration of Ohio OFFIC 1,977,113 vULcANIzING MOLD FOR "IN ER AND THE LIKE Peter' De Mattia, Passaic, N. JL, assignor 'to National Rubber Machinery Company, a cor- TUBES;

pe-Hams August 29, 1923, Serial No. 302,111

- 11 Claims. (crew-1s) e This invention relates to improvements in vulcanizingmolds. for-inner tubes and the like, and refers particularly to means for connecting the valve stems Qty-Such articles .to a pressure fluid supplypipe wherebythe articles when confined within the-molds can be inflated and deflated.

Anin portant object of; the invention is to provides. coupling whereby fluid-tight communica-- tion will beautomatically established-between the -valve, stem and the pressure fluid supply pipe as. the. tube orotherinflatable article to be vulcanized-is positioned in the mold and the inflati ui u l edt t I I One feature ofthe invention the provision ofsa. couplingadaptedto be mounted adjacent the mold in position to receivethe end of a valve stem.whic h is pushed .through an aperture in the mold wall. as the tube isplaced in the mold cavity,..and this coupling has. a free-or floating valve nipple which, when the fluid supply is turned on, is pressed against the. end of thevalve stem to establish, a fluid-tightconnection with the supply pipe Thecoupling is in theform of a gun and is adapted to, be adjusted to different 5.: positions foitaccommodation-of valve stems of dlfierient lengths and shapes. a -Another. feature of the invention is they provision .or .rneans,.-for venting the pressure fluid from the'yulcanized article without causing it to traverse the inflating passages, so as thereby to avoidthe, clogging of such passages with any foreign p'ai'ticles, in the pressure fluid. For this purpose, the coupling or gun is provided immediately adjacent thevalvestem with an exhaust port, which preferably opens directly to the at-.-

mosphere, and-which is cut ofi by the pressure. controlled valve nipple when the latter is in its inflating position; At the end ,of the vulcanizing operation, the fluidfpressure is released at the supply end otthe c'ouplingfwhereupon the pres: sure .fro'm' withinthe inflated article moves. the

valve nipple back"out1of contact with the end of the valveste ii, anduncovers said exhaust port toopen'up communication between it and the valve stem.'.' This] is .a' Iveryfdesirable feature because it frequentlyhappensthat dirt and soapstone or other. foreignisubstances are carried oii 'withth'e .air or. other pressure fluid when the vulcanized article, is deflated, and when the pressure'fluid; as thus laden with foreign particles is passages oite'ntirnesresults and moreoverthe effihand,- in deflating the vulcanized article, the pressure fluid is vented directlyto the atmosphere as it leaves the valve stem, so that any foreign particles present in'the fluid will be carried off immediately and not allowed to enter the inflating. connections.

The foregoingand other objects; features, an advantages of the inventionwillbe fully understood from the followingdescription in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein several forms-of the-invention have been shown by way ofillustration andwherein:

. Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional-view through a .vulcanizing-press'equippe'd with one form of pressure fluid pipeconnection made in accordance with'the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the coupling adjustedfor connection with a diiierent form of valve stem; l

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 2;

Fig. MS a fragmentary detail view of the lower mold-section, showing the valve stem clamping member;

' Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the'improve'd coupling per se, with the parts in inflating position;

Fig. 6 isa similar view' with the parts in deflating position; I Fig.7 is a detail perspective view of the inner end of the valve stem clamping member;

Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of coupling in elevation;

Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the coupling of Fig. 9;

'Fig. 11 is'a bottomplan view thereof;

' Fig. 12' is a' vertical'longitudin'al sectional view through'another modifieclform of coupling;

Fig. '13 is a'transvers'e sectional view on line 13 13 'of Fig.1'2;" a

Fig. 14 is an elevation of thepressure-controlled valve nipple assembly of Fig. 12; I

' Fig. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view, through another modified form of the invention; V

' Fig. 16 is asimilar view, through still another modified form of the invention;

Fig, 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of another modification; adapted to be manually positionedancl clamped on theend of a valve stem;

Fig. 18 is a detail view of a modified form of valvenipple. adapted for use inthecoupling of Fig. 17-; and.

Fig. 19 is a detail view of another modified form of nipple for the same.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, the invention has been illustrated as applied to a vulcanizing press wherein a pair of opposed mold sections 10 and 11 are respectively secured to hinged platens 12 and 13, one of which is fixed and the other movable to open and close the press. The mold sections 10 and 11 are of annular form and provided, in their meeting faces,;

with grooves which cooperate to define an annular mold cavity within which an inner tube 14; or other inflatable article is confined during vulcanization. The inner tube 14 has a tubular inflation valve stem 15 adapted to extend. through an aperture 16 in the inner wall of the fixed mold section 10, and by admitting compressed air,

steam or other pressure fluid through this valve stem, the tube 14 can be inflated and pressed against the walls of the mold cavity while being heated by the circulation of steam through chambers 17 and 18 which surround the cavity. As the valve stem 15 is pushed through the aperture 16 in the operation of positioning an unvulcanized tube in the mold, it makes'quick detachable connection with a novel coupling .or-gu-n 1.9,and it is clamped in position by a locking bar 20.

- This locking bar 20 is slidable in an opening 21 which extends diagonally through the mold-wall and intersects the aperture 16, and the inner end of the bar (see Fig. '7) is formed'with acurved surface 22 adapted to engage the lower side of the valve stem, and another curved surface 23 which is flush with the surface of the moldcavity when the bar is in its locking position; The outer-end of the bar 20 is pivotally connected at 24 to a lever 25, which, in turn, is pivoted at 26 to a bracket 27 secured to the inner side oiT-the mold section 1 0. The lever preferably extends downwardly from the bracket 27 and is provided, at its lower end, with a forwardly extending push rod 28 having a pad 29 on its extremity whereby it may be rocked to unlocking position by manual pressure. Atension spring 30 acts upon the lever 25 to normally maintain the bar 20 in its locking position, and

thus the valve stems will befirmly held during the vulcanizing operations.

.t is to be noted'that the valve stem 15 in Fig.

1 is straight, whereas that in Fig. 2 is bent, and

l the novel coupling 19 to be described is capable of eing connected to either form of valve stem, or in fact to any standard form of valve stem.

As best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8, the coupling or gun 19 has a substantially L'shaped body 31, one leg of which is provided with alongitudinal bore 32 within which a floating valve nipple 33 is disposed; One end of the bore 32. has a cone-shaped countersunk throat 32 which constitutes asocket for the reception of the end of the valve stem 15, while the other end of said bor is closed by a screw-threaded plug 34 having an inwardly extending central stem 35 of reduced diameter. The end of this stem-35 is tapered conically to'provide a valve seat 36 for cooperation with asimilarly shaped countersunk portion 37 of the valve nipple 33 for reasons hereinafter explained. The valve nipple 33 is in the nature of a cylindrical plunger having a close sliding fit within the bore 32, and has a central longitudinal fluid passage 33 through which communicationis'established between the valve stem anda pressure fluid supply pipe.v The end of thervalve nipple opposite to the countersink 37 is provided with a packing washer 38, which in the tube inflating operation engages tightly against the end of the valve stem to form a fluid-tight joint therewith. Thus, it will be seen that the valve nipple 33 is limited in its movement in one direction by the valve stem 15, and in the other direction by the conical valve seat 36, and that its movement between these two limits is controlled by the flow of fluidthrough the coupling.

Adjacent the valve seat 36, the bore 32 is intersected by an air inlet port 39 which communicates with an annular chamber 40 into which air is discharged from' an apertured screw plug 41 (Fig. 8). This screw plug 41 projects laterally from the body of the coupling and is adapted for connection to a suitable fitting 42 of a flexible hose-'43 which supplies the compressed air or other inflating fluid from a source not shown. At'its other end, immediately adjacent the end of the valve stem, the bore 32 is intersected by a vent port 44 which, when the valve nipple is in its rearward position as shown in Fig. 6, afiords communication between the interior of the valve stem and the atmosphere.

A clamping bolt 45 extends through ahole 46 in the coupling body 31, and has its head 47 disposed in a vertically extending T slot or guide- Way 48 of a slide-49, the outer end of the bolt being provided with a. nut 50 by means of which the coupling or gun can be clamped with reference to the slide 49. A radially extending guide 51 is secured to the fixed mold section 10, and fitswithin a dovetail groove 52 in the rear side of the slide 49, whereby to adjustably support the same, and a set screw 53 (Fig. 3) is'adapted to lock the slide in its adjusted position. According to this'arrange'ment, the coupling 19-can-be adjusted both axially and radially with reference to themold, as well as rotated about the axis of the clamping-bolt 45, and by virtue'of these adjustments it can accommodate valve stems of any standard size or shape. 7

In the use of the apparatus described, the slide 49 and'the gun 19 are first-adjusted to set the gun in positionto receive the end of the valve stem with which the inner tube to'be vulcanized is equipped, whether a straight stem as in Fig. 1 or a bent stem as in Fig. 2. When the press is opened, the attendant inserts an inner tube 14 in the cavity of the fixed mold section 10, pushing the inflation valve stem 15 through the aperture 16 and clamping the same in position by the locking bar 20. In this operation, the end of the valve stem 15 is guided into the, coupling by the cone-shaped throat 32*, as best shown in Fig. 5'. The attendant then closes the press whereby to'entirely'confine the tube 14 in'the vulcanizing mold, and, either before or after closingthe press, by manipulation of a three-way valve (not shown) ,-he causes compressed air or other pressure fluid to flow through the hose 43 into the coupling. Ordinarily, the fluid pressure .will be turned on before the press is closed so as to allow the inflation of the tube to take place duringthe closing of the press. At first, this pressure fluid fills the annular space which surrounds the plug stem 35 and, by pressing against the adjacent end of the valve nipple 33, it moves the nipple axially within the bore 32 to the forward position shown in Fig. 5, wherein the packing washer 38 makes a fluid-tight connection with the end of the valve stem 15. As the valve nipple 33 thus moves axially, the countersunk portion 37 thereof becomes disengaged from the valve seat 36, permitting the fluid to flow through the nipple and thence through the valve stem to inflate the inner tube 14. After the tube has been subjected to vulcanizing heat and'pressure for the requisite period, the fluid supply from the hose 43 is out oii and the pressure within the inner tube exhausted, the fluid within the tube 14 then flowing in areverse direction through the coupling and the hose 43 to the exhaust port oi the valve. Since all pressure behind the member 33 is released, the friction of-the fluid passing through said member is'suiilcient to move it rearwardly, thus breaking the seal between the packing washer 38 and the end of the valve stem 15. Pressure fluid is thus admitted tothe front end of the bore 33 and assists in moving the member 33 rearwardly so that it engages and seals against the member 35, with the result that further passage'of fluid into the hose 43' is prevented, the fluid thereafter escaping through aperture 44. The press can th n be opened for the purpose of removing the vulcanized tube and replacing it with an unvulcanized tube. The pad 29 is so positioned that it can be conveniently operated by the attendants knee for the purpose of moving the bar 20 to its unlocking position, and this of courseleaves the attendants hands free for other occupations.

In Figs. 9 to 11 inclusive, a modified form of the invention has been shown wherein the coupling 19 is not mounted in flxed position, but is adapted to be manually placed upon the end of the valve stem after the same has been positioned in the mold andfirmly held in place by the clamping bar '28. In this instance the coupling body 56 is made in the form of the letter C, in one arm of which the bore 32 is formed for the reception of the floating valve nipple 33 At the outer end of this arm, there is a fixed jaw member 57 which is adapted to engage one side of the threaded valve stem in oppositionto a movable jaw 58 which is secured, as by a pin 59, on one end of a plunger 60. The plunger 60 is reciprocable within a smallcylin'der 61 and is provided with a pair of intersecting'ports 62 and 63, the former of which communicates with the air supply hose 63*, while the latter is'adapted to communicate with passages 64 leading to the bore 32 The function and mode of opera tion of the valve nipple 33 is exactly the same as in the case of the first described embodiment,

and the principal difference resides in the pro-' vision of the automaticfluid actuated clamping jaws 57 and 58. mitted to the cylinder 61 after the coupling has been applied to the valve stem, the pressure acts upon the inner end of the plunger 60,-forcing the movable jaw 58 toward the fixed jaw 57 and thus eiiecting the automatic connection of the coupling upon the end of the valve stem. The fluid entering the cylinder 61 also passes through the In Figs. 12 to 14 inclusive/there is shownanother modification wherein the plug valve stem 35 of the first embodiment is eliminatechand the slidable valve nipple is provided internally with a check valve to prevent the reverse flow of the pressure fluid therethrough. "As" best As the supply of fluid is adshown in Fig. 12, the valve nipple comprises a sleeve portion 65 provided with a valve stem en gaging portion 66 atone end and a closure plug 67 at its other end,this closure plug having a central opening 68 which-comunicates with air inlet port 39 leading from the supply pipe. Within the sleeve 65 is a ball 69 which-is pressed against the inner end of the opening 68 by a compression spring'ZO, the outer'end of which bears against the inner'endfof the member 66. With this'form of the invention, it will be evident that the ball valve 69'will normally be held closedbythe spring 70 and will not be, opened to permit flow oiair into the valve stem until the axial movement of the sleeve .65 has been arrested by the valvestem. Furthermore the automatic closing of the valve 69 when the fluid pressure is cut off from the supply hose will result in aquick reverse movement of the sliding sleeve, permitting the'inflated tube to be vented through the exhaust port 44 I In Fig. 15 another modification is shownfunctionihgsubstantially like that of the first, described embodiment,.but differing therefrom in the fact that the discharge end of the sliding valve nipple is reduced as indicated at 72. so as toenter'the valve stem, and that,1spaced inwardly from .said reduced. end of the bushing, there is an annular knife-edged shoulder 73 which engages the end of the valve stem and eiiectively forms the fluid-tight connection therewith."

In Fig. 16 there is shown another; modification similar to that illustrated in Figs. 9 to 11. Inthis instance, the Icouplingbody is ill-shape, presenting a lo-ngbranch 76, to cooperate with the valve. stem, and a short branch Flier connection with the fluidsupply pipe. The long branch 76 is in the natureof a pressure cylinder and contains a close fitting piston75, a port 77" establishing communication between the pressure cylinder and the fluid supply pipe. Extending forwardly from the piston are threeor more resilient fingers' '75 bentradially inward toward each other, as at 75 and terminating in threaded grip claws 75 for'engag'ement with the threaded end of the valve stem when the coupling is'applied thereto; At its forward end, the pressure cylinder 76 is formed with a cone shaped surface 76 to cooperate with the radially bent portions 75 of the resilient fingers 75 and presents a restricted cylindrical throat 76 to accommodate the grip claws 75. At its r ar end the pressurecylinder is closed by a screw threaded plug 76 which faa cilitates the insertion and removal of the interior parts. Slidably arrangedwithin the piston 75 is a valve nipple 78 adaptedat its forward end for engagementwith-the end of the valve stem and formed at its rear end and at its outer sur face with an annular groove 78 According to this arrangement, when the fluid supply is turned on, the fluid entersthe pressure cylinder 76 through the Iport'l'l behind the piston 75 and tends to force the lattertoward the left in Fig. 16;" but, since such movement/of the piston is prevented by the engagement of the grip claws 75 with the valve stem, the pressure cylinder it-. selfis forced to the right, due to the pressure of the fluid against the 'face ofthe closure. plugi76. As the pressure cylirider is thus forced to the right, its conical surface 76 engages the; radially bentportions '75 of the resilient-fingers 75 and, by exerting a camming action thereon, holds the grip claws 75f in firm engagement-with the valve-stem. At the same time-the pressure fluid,

' bore 95. The other or inner end of the valve nipin acting on the valve nipple 78; forces the latter to the left into fluid-tight engagement with the end of the valve stem, and then passes through the stem to inflate the inner tube. Upon release of the inflating pressure, the pressure fluid in leaving the valve stem forces the valve nipple 78 to the right and presses its rear end into fluidtight engagement with the face of the screw plug 76, thus preventing the fluid from entering the port77 or the fluid supply pipe and causing it to pass to the atmosphere through the vent port form of coupling which is adapted to be manually placed upon'the end of the valve stem instead of being mounted in fixed position. Here the body of the coupling is made in the form of an inverted U, one leg 80 of which is provided with a longitudinal bore 81 for connection with the air supply hose not shown, while the other leg 82 has a central longitudinal bore 83 within which a valve stem locking member 84 is slidably mounted. This locking member 84 atits upper end is provided with a reduced portion 85 formed with serrations 86 which are adapted to engage the screw threadson the side of the valve stem 15. Normally, the locking member 84 is pushed upwardly to its locking position by a compression spring 87 disposed within the lower end of the bore 83 and confined by a suitable threaded plug 88 or the like. At one side, the locking mem--.

ber 84 is provided with a notch 89 for engagement with a short lever arm 90 extending through ,an opening 91 in the body portion 82 and pivoted at 92 to the other body portion 80. A handle member 93, preferably formed integral with the lever arm 90 and so disposed as to be convenient for manipulation, is employed to rock said lever arm for the purpose of withdrawing the locking member 8 1 from its locking position and against the compression of the spring 87. The interme diate portion 94 of the U-shaped coupling body is provided with a central bore 95 in which a valve nipple 33 is slidable for alternate engagement and disengagement with the inner end of the valve stem 15. This valve nipple 33 is also provided with a reduced outer end 96 which is adapted to seat within the extremity of the valve stem 15, and it has a central air passage 97 through which the fluid is conducted from the supply end of the ple 33 is also slightly reduced in diameter to provide a shoulder 33 against which the fluid pressure acts to move the valve nipple from its deflating position. In the deflating position, the extremity of the valve nipple 33 bears against the inner end of a closure plug 95 whereby to cut off communication between the bore 81 and the central air passage 97. A vent port 95 is also provided, to be uncovered when the valve nipple is in its deflating position.

The floating valve member 33 of Fig. 5 can be further modified as shown in Fig. 18 if desired. In the latter figure, the cylindrical portion 100 is formed with a spherical cavity 101 to receive an apertured spherical member 102, which latter has a short tubular portion 103 for entering the extremity of the valve stem, and this tubular portion 103 is surrounded by an annular groove 104 which makes fluid-tight connection with the end of the valve stem. As the nipple is thus constituted, the member 102 (which may be made of metal or rubber) is free to adjust itself in all directions in making fluid-tight engagement with the valve stem, the mounting being in the nature of a ball and socket connection. A snap ring or the like (not shown), which is adapted to seat in a V-shaped groove 101 adjacent the outer end of the cavity 101, serves to hold the member 102 in position and to limit it in its rocking movements.

In Fig. 19, which illustrates still another modification, the coupling body is quite similar to that shown in Fig. 12, except that the check valve which prevents the return of the pressure fluid through the inflating connections, when the tube is deflated, is arranged at the discharge end of the valve nipple rather than at its receiving end. Thus the hollow valve nipple 105 is reciprocable in a casing 106 formed at one end with a restricted throat to receive the valve stem and at its other end with a port or by-pass 107 leading from the fluid supply pipe connection 108. The screw plug 109, which closes the end of the casing 106, gives support to a centrally located rod or stem 110 which extends forwardly through the valve nipple and is formed with a reducedtaperedend portion 111 which enters the discharge passage 112 of the valve nipple, when the latter is in deflating position, as shown in the drawings. Also located within the valve nipple is a spring 113 bearing at one end against a collar 114 formed on the stem 110 and at its opposite end against an annular internal flange formed on the nipple l05, this spring acting constantly to hold the valve nipple in its deflating position. When the pressure is turned on to inflate the inner tube, the pressure fluid enters the casing 106 through the port 107 and flows into the valve nipple 105, and then, by pressing against the head portion of the nipple, forces the latter to the left against the opposition of the spring 113 and into fluid-tight engagement with the inserted end of the valve stem, holding the two in such fluid-tight engagement until the tube is fully inflated. Later, when the tube is admitted and the pressure is released, the spring 113 acts immediately to return the valve nipple to its deflating position, as shown, and to cause the check valve stem 110 to enter and close the dis charge passage 112. In this way, the pressure fluid in leaving the valve stem is not allowed to enter the valve nipple, but is caused to pass off directly to the atmosphere through the vent port or aperture 115. In this connection it may be noted that the spring 113 is not absolutely necessary to insure the. sealing of the valve nipple during the deflating operation because the pressure fluid in acting on the valve nipple would alone bring about the same result,.as in the other embodiments described, but the use of the spring is desirable in insuring the movements of the valve nipple to deflating position.

Incidentally, similar springs could be associated with the valve nipples disclosed in the other embodiments illustrated, if found desirable.

From the foregoing it will be. clear that with this invention the valve stems can be very easily and quickly connected to and disconnected from the air supply pipe, thus materially speeding up for putting the valve stem alternatively into coming through the coupling.

" form of a slidable nipple adapted to engage the the vulcanizing operations. The constructions contemplatedare entremely-simple, capable of being economically produced, and will be strong and durable service. Qbviously the invention is susceptible of further modification in. the 'details ofconstruction, and arrangement of parts, and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a supply pipe for elastic fluid under pressure, a coupling on said supply pipe adapted to receive the end of a valve stem, said coupling member being formed with a vent, and means within the coupling adapted alternatively to put the valve stem in fluid-tight communication with the supply pipe, or to put the Valve stem in communication with the vent while sealing ofl the fluid supply pipe.

2. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a supply pipe for elastic fluid under pressure, and means actuated by fluid pressure for automatically maintaining fluid-tight communication between a valve stem and said supply pipe during the inflation of an article in the mold, and for breaking said connection and sealing ofi the supply pipe from the valve stem when pressure from the supply pipe is shut ofi.

3. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a supply pipe for an elastic fluid under pressure, a coupling on said supply pipe adapted to receive the end of a valve stem, said coupling member being formed with a vent, and fluid pressure actuated means munication with the supply pipe or the vent without relative movement of the valve stem and coupling.

4. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe having a coupling provided with a socket for the reception of the end of a valve stem, a vent port opening into the socket, and a fluid-conducting member having limited sliding movement within the body of the coupling, said member being adapted to be pressed against the end of the valve stem when moved in one direction to establish communication between the supply pipe and the valve stem, and to be disengaged from the end of the valve stem when moved in the opposite direction to establish communication between the valve stem and the vent port and to close ofi the supply pipe, the movements of said fluid-conducting member being controlled by the pressure of the fluid flow- 5. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe provided with a coupling comprising a body portion having a fluid passage adapted for connection at one end to the supply pipe and to receive the end of a valve stem at its other end, and a check valve within the fluid passage to permit flow of fluid from the supply pipe to the valve stem while preventing the return of the fluid to the supply pipe, said valve being in the end of the valve stem in a fluid-tight manner when the check valve is open, and a vent port opening into the fluid passage adjacent the end of the valve stem and communicating with the valve stem when the check valve is closed by fluid that has previously passed therethrough.

6. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure I fluid supply pipe, a coupling member on said stem a; discharge nipple arranged within the coupling and adapted; to'make fluid-tight connection with the valve stem as the pressure fluid flows through-thev coupling, and. means for automatically breaking the fluidetight connection of the discharge nipple with the valve stemand moving the nipple to seal off the supply pipe when the inflating pressure is released, whereby an article associated with the valve stem may be deflated by venting the valve stem directly to the atmosphere.

'7. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe having a coupling provided with a socket for the reception of the end of a valve stem, a fluid-conducting member slidable in the body of the coupling and adapted to be pressed against the end of the valve stem by the pressure fluid supplied through the coupling, a member movable independently of 'the fluid-conducting member and provided with resilient clamping jaws to engage the end of the valve stem and connect the two detachably together and means for causing said jaws to engage the valve stem automatically upon the passage of fluid to the valve stem.

8. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe having a coupling provided with a socket for the reception of the end of a valve stem, a vent port opening into the socket, a fluid-conducting member having limited sliding movement within the body of the coupling, said member being adapted to be pressed against the end of the valve stem when moved in one direction to establish communication between the supply pipe and the valve stem, and tobe disengaged from the end of the valve stem when moved in the opposite direction to establish communication between the valve stem and the vent port, the movements of said fluid-conducting member being controlled by the pressure of the fluid flowing through the coupling, and the coupling being further characterized by resilient clamping jaws to engage the end of the valve stem and connect the two detachably together during the inflation period, and means for actuating the movable fluid conducting member and the clamping jaws automatically in determined timed relation.

9. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe having a coupling provided with a socket for the reception of the end of a valve stem, a pressure-actuated check valve within the coupling to alternately make and break fluidtight communication between the valve stem and the supply pipe, a member formed with resilient clamping jaws associated with the coupling and operating independently of the check valve adapted to engage the end of the valve stem to connect the two detachably together during the inflation period, and means for actuating the clamping jaws by the pressure fluid passing through the coupling.

10. In or for a vulcanizing mold, a pressure fluid supply pipe provided with a coupling comprising a body portion having a fluid passage adapted for connection at one end to the supply pipe and to receive the end of a valve stem at its other end, a check valve located in the fluid passage and acting automatically to permit flow of fluid from the supply pipe to the valve stem while preventing the return of the fluid to the supply pipe, said valve being in the form of a slidable nipple adapted to engage the end of the valve stem in a fluid-tight manner when the check valve is open, resilient clamping jaws associated with the coupling and operating independently of the Check valve adapted to engage the end Of the valve stem to connect the two detachably together during the inflation period, and means for actuating the clamping jaws automatically upon the admission of pressure fluid to the coupling. 

